ADHD Experts Podcast 548- How to Heal from Trauma Using Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Apr 1, 2025
Susan Bauerfeld, a licensed clinical psychologist and expert in Internal Family Systems therapy, sheds light on the relationship between ADHD and trauma. She highlights how children with ADHD face unique emotional challenges and introduces IFS as a powerful tool for healing. Topics include the importance of self-awareness in parenting, how trauma reshapes brain structures, and integrating IFS with cognitive behavioral therapy. Bauerfeld also advocates for a balanced educational approach to alleviate societal achievement pressures on students and teachers.
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IFS Core Principles
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy suggests everyone has multiple "parts" or sub-personalities.
- These parts, though sometimes employing unhelpful strategies, are not inherently bad.
Brain, Parts, and Environment
- Brain hardware and "parts" (software) interact and influence each other.
- Environmental factors and access to "self-energy" also impact functioning.
Stuff and Trauma
- "Stuff happens" (uncomfortable facts and feelings) to everyone, especially those with ADHD.
- Trauma arises from the meaning we make about ourselves based on these experiences.